A RECORD OF ALL THINGS UNDER HEAVEN
As gathered from the oldest accounts that remain
PROLOGUE — CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
On the Matter of Mazu — 媽祖 — the Goddess of the Sea
Her name is Mazu — 媽祖.
Ma — 媽 — means mother. Grandmother.
Zu — 祖 — means ancestor.
Together — 媽祖 — Maternal Ancestor. Mother Ancestor. Grandmother Ancestor.
She is also called Tianhou — 天后 — Empress of Heaven.
She is also called Tianfei — 天妃 — Princess of Heaven.
She is also called Tian Shang Sheng Mu — 天上聖母 — Holy Mother in Heaven. This is her Taoist title.
She is also called A-Ma — 阿媽 — Mother. Grandmother. This is what the Hokkien speakers call her.
She is also called Ma Cho Po — 媽祖婆 — Granny Mazu. This is what the people of Fujian call her.
She is also called Lin Moniang — 林默娘 — Silent Maiden Lin. This was her name in life.
In Macau — 澳門 — Aomen — the Portuguese heard the fishermen say A-Ma Gong — 阿媽宮 — the Temple of A-Ma. They wrote the name down as Amaquao. They shortened it. They called the entire peninsula Macau.
The name of a city came from the name of this goddess.
She was a real person.
She was born in 960 of the common era.
She died at twenty-eight.
She has been worshipped for over one thousand years.
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On her birth.
She was born on the twenty-third day of the third lunar month — 三月二十三 — san yue er shi san — of the year 960 of the common era.
She was born on Meizhou Island — 湄洲島 — Meizhou Dao — in Putian — 莆田 — Fujian province — 福建省 — Fujian Sheng.
Her father was Lin Yuan — 林愿 — a local official.
She was his sixth or seventh daughter. The accounts differ.
At the moment of her birth a purple glow — 紫光 — zi guang — filled the sky.
A fragrant aroma spread through the air.
She did not cry.
She did not cry as an infant.
She did not cry throughout her childhood.
Because she did not cry and did not speak loudly she was called Mo — 默 — Silent.
Her name became Lin Mo — 林默 — Silent Lin.
Her full name became Lin Moniang — 林默娘 — Silent Maiden Lin.
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On her childhood.
She could accurately forecast the weather from childhood.
She could predict the future.
She fell into deep trances that are now believed to have been a form of epilepsy or shamanic trance — 薩滿出神 — saman chushen.
During these trances she experienced divine visions.
At the age of five she began reciting the Guanyin Sutra — 觀音經 — Guanyin Jing — without being taught.
By the age of eleven she had mastered the study of Confucius — 孔子 — Kongzi — and the primary Buddhist sutras — 佛經 — Fojing.
At thirteen a Buddhist monk or Taoist master — the accounts differ — recognized the divinity within her.
He gave her a book of hidden lore — 秘籍 — miji.
She mastered it.
At sixteen a Taoist immortal — 道仙 — dao xian — gifted her an amulet — 護身符 — hushenshu — that could exorcise demons, heal the sick, and avert disaster.
She used it to treat illnesses for her fellow villagers.
She could predict the weather changes.
She warned fishermen when storms were coming.
She was called Little Goddess — 小神女 — xiao shennü — by the people of Meizhou Island.
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On the miracle that made her a goddess.
Her father Lin Yuan and her brothers went out fishing.
A great storm struck the sea.
Mazu was at home weaving — 織布 — zhibu.
She fell into a trance.
In the trance her spirit left her body.
Her spirit flew across the water.
She found her father and brothers drowning.
She gripped her father in her teeth — 用牙齒咬住 — yong yachi yao zhu.
She gripped one brother in her left hand.
She gripped another brother in her right hand.
She was pulling them to safety.
Then her mother saw her.
Her mother was frightened.
She believed Mazu was having a seizure.
She shook Mazu by the shoulders.
She called her name loudly.
Mazu was jerked out of the trance.
She dropped her father from her teeth.
Her father drowned.
Her brothers survived because she had gripped them in her hands.
When the brothers returned they told the village what had happened.
They said: a young woman came to us in the water. She held us and carried us. When she disappeared we were near shore.
The village understood.
They understood what Mazu had done.
They understood what her mother had interrupted.
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On the different versions.
The texts record this story in several versions.
In one version it is the father and four brothers. Three are saved. One drowns.
In another version it is the father alone. He is saved. No brothers are mentioned.
In another version Mazu dies three days later in a failed attempt to rescue her father's body from the sea.
In the most widely accepted version she lives to age twenty-eight and dies in meditation on a mountaintop.
All versions agree: at least one family member drowned because her mother interrupted the trance.
All versions agree: the ones she held in her hands survived.
All versions agree: she became a goddess because of what happened that day.
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On her death.
She died at the age of twenty-eight.
The year was approximately 987 of the common era.
The most widely recorded account states: she climbed to the peak of Meifeng Mountain — 湄峰山 — Meifeng Shan — on Meizhou Island.
She entered a deep meditation.
At the moment of her death she transformed into a beam of celestial light — 天光 — tian guang.
She ascended to heaven.
A rainbow appeared across the sky after she vanished.
Sailors on the sea that day said they saw a young woman in a dark red skirt — 深紅裙 — shen hong qun — walking on the water.
She pointed toward shore.
They followed her.
They reached safety.
They reported what they had seen when they arrived at the docks.
The people of Meizhou Island built a temple on the island in her honor.
The temple still stands.
It has been rebuilt and expanded many times.
It is now called the Meizhou Mazu Temple — 湄洲媽祖廟 — Meizhou Mazu Miao.
It is the ancestral temple — 祖廟 — zu miao — of all Mazu worship in the world.
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On her two guardians.
She is guarded by two demons she defeated in combat.
The first is called Qianliyan — 千里眼 — the Eyes That See a Thousand Li. He can see everything within a thousand li in any direction. He sees through storms. He sees through darkness. He sees through fog.
The second is called Shunfeng'er — 順風耳 — the Ears That Hear With the Wind. He can hear everything within a thousand li in any direction. He hears prayers spoken quietly on a sinking ship. He hears cries from beneath the waves.
Both came to Mazu as suitors.
They wished to marry her.
Mazu refused to marry.
She set a condition: whoever defeats me in combat wins my hand.
She defeated Qianliyan.
She defeated Shunfeng'er.
She used a magic silk scarf — 絲巾 — si jin — to blow sand into their eyes. She blinded them temporarily. She subdued them while they could not see.
She hired them as her personal guardians.
They stand at the doors of Mazu temples today.
Their eyes and ears still function.
They see and hear everything within a thousand li of every temple they guard.
Nothing happens at sea without their knowledge reaching Mazu.
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On the official titles given by dynasties.
Many dynasties elevated her status through official titles.
In 1155 the Song dynasty — 宋朝 — Song Chao — gave her the title: Princess of Supernatural Favour — 靈惠夫人 — Linghui Furen.
In 1192 the Song dynasty elevated her to: Princess of Numinous Grace — 靈惠妃 — Linghui Fei.
In 1281 the Yuan dynasty — 元朝 — Yuan Chao — gave her the title: Heavenly Princess Who Protects the Nation — 護國明著天妃 — Huguo Mingzhu Tianfei.
In 1409 the Ming dynasty — 明朝 — Ming Chao — gave her the title: Holy Mother of Heaven Above — 天上聖母 — Tian Shang Shengmu.
In the Qing dynasty — 清朝 — Qing Chao — she was elevated to: Heavenly Empress — 天后 — Tianhou. This is the highest title a female deity could receive in the imperial system.
In 1839 the Daoguang Emperor — 道光帝 — Daoguang Di — gave her the final imperial title: Holy Mother in Heaven — 天后聖母 — Tianhou Shengmu.
By the nineteenth century her full imperial title contained sixty-four characters — 六十四字封號 — liushisi zi fenghao — the longest imperial title awarded to any female deity in Chinese history.
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On Zheng He — 鄭和 — and Mazu.
Zheng He — 鄭和 — the great Ming dynasty admiral — conducted seven treasure voyages — 七下西洋 — qi xia xiyang — between 1405 and 1433.
He commanded fleets of more than sixty vessels.
He commanded tens of thousands of men.
Before every voyage he worshipped at the Meizhou Mazu Temple.
He petitioned the Jade Emperor to elevate Mazu's status.
After his first voyage he commissioned the Tianfei Palace — 天妃宮 — Tianfei Gong — in Nanjing — 南京 — in her honor.
He credited Mazu with protecting his fleet through the storms of the Indian Ocean.
He spread her worship to every port his fleet visited.
Everywhere his ships stopped — Southeast Asia, India, Arabia, East Africa — Mazu's name went with him.
She traveled farther than most gods.
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On her appearance.
She is depicted seated on a throne — 寶座 — baozuo.
She wears red robes — 紅袍 — hong pao.
She wears a flat crown — 平天冠 — pingtian guan — hung with strings of jade beads that cover her face.
This crown is the same style as an emperor's formal crown.
She is the only female deity depicted wearing this crown.
She carries a tablet — 笏 — hu — in both hands. The tablet is an official's implement. It signals her authority.
Qianliyan stands on her right.
Shunfeng'er stands on her left.
Sailors before departure said: if you call her by her formal title Tianhou — 天后 — she will waste time dressing in her imperial regalia before coming to help. Call her A-Ma — 阿媽 — Mother. She comes immediately when called Mother.
This detail is recorded in the texts without commentary.
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On the Hokkien diaspora and Mazu.
Mazu belongs particularly to the Hokkien people — 福建人 — Fujian Ren — the people of Fujian province.
When the Hokkien dispersed from Fujian they carried Mazu with them.
They carried her to Taiwan — 台灣.
They carried her to the Philippines — 菲律賓 — Feilübin.
They carried her to Malaysia — 馬來西亞 — Malaixiya.
They carried her to Singapore — 新加坡 — Xinjiapo.
They carried her to Indonesia — 印度尼西亞 — Yindunixiya.
They carried her to Vietnam — 越南 — Yuenan.
They carried her to Japan — 日本 — Riben.
They carried her to the Americas.
They carried her to Europe.
Wherever Hokkien people settled they built a temple to Mazu before they built anything else.
She was the first thing they established in a new place.
She was the guarantee that the sea crossing had been completed safely.
The temple was the thank you.
In Indonesia — 印度尼西亞 — the Sam Poo Kong Temple — 三保公廟 — San Bao Gong Miao — in Semarang — 三寶瓏 — Sanbaolang — Java — blends the Lantern Festival with a Mazu Parade.
Indonesian Chinese carry the Mazu statue through the streets.
They chant prayers.
They ask her to protect the community for another year.
This has been done since the Chinese first settled in Java.
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On the UNESCO recognition.
In 2009 UNESCO added Mazu Belief and Customs — 媽祖信俗 — Mazu Xinsu — to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity — 人類非物質文化遺產代表作名錄.
The UNESCO recognition states: Mazu belief and customs are deeply integrated into the lives of coastal Chinese.
As of a 2020 report by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences — 中國社會科學院 — Zhongguo Shehui Kexue Yuan — there are over ten thousand Mazu temples worldwide — 全球一萬多座媽祖廟 — spanning nearly fifty countries and regions across five continents.
More than two hundred million people worship her.
She is the most widely worshipped goddess among overseas Chinese communities in the world.
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On her birthday and festivals.
Her birthday is the twenty-third day of the third lunar month — 三月二十三 — san yue er shi san.
The birthday is the most important day of the Mazu calendar.
Temples worldwide hold grand ceremonies.
Offerings of flowers — 花 — hua. Fruits — 水果 — shuiguo. Brocade — 錦緞 — jinduan.
The ritual of three kneelings and nine kowtows — 三跪九叩 — san gui jiu kou — is performed.
In Taiwan — 台灣 — the Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage — 大甲媽祖遶境 — Dajia Mazu Raojing — is one of the largest religious events in the world.
Pilgrims walk more than three hundred kilometers — 三百公里 — san bai gongli — carrying a litter containing a Mazu statue between two temples.
The pilgrimage takes nine days and eight nights.
Hundreds of thousands of people participate.
The anniversary of her death — 羽化昇天 — yu hua sheng tian — ascension to heaven — is observed on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month — 九月初九 — jiu yue chu jiu — the Double Ninth Festival — 重陽節 — Chongyang Jie.
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On what she is not.
She does not belong to Taoism — 道教 — Daojiao — exclusively.
She does not belong to Buddhism — 佛教 — Fojiao — exclusively.
She belongs to neither and to both.
The texts of both religions reference her.
Both traditions claim her.
She occupies her own category.
It is called Mazuism — 媽祖信仰 — Mazu Xinyang — the Mazu Belief.
She is a virgin goddess — 處女神 — chunü shen.
She refused marriage twice — to Qianliyan and to Shunfeng'er.
She defeated both and made them serve her instead.
She was conceived after her parents prayed to Guanyin — 觀音.
Some accounts say Guanyin sent her soul to her mother's womb.
Some accounts say she is a manifestation of Guanyin.
The Linji School — 臨濟宗 — Linji Zong — of Chan Buddhism — 禪宗 — Chan Zong — in southern Fujian holds this view.
This record does not declare which view is correct.
Both are recorded.
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On the boats.
Fishing boats from coastal China still carry a small Mazu statue called a Chuanzai Ma — 船仔媽 — Guardian of the Boat.
The statue sits in a small shrine on the boat.
Before departure the fisherman bows to her.
He tells her where he is going.
He tells her when he expects to return.
She knows.
If he does not return she knows that too.
END OF CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE